No, I was completely tuned out of Iran-Iraq. Paid close attention to Lockerbie and the Tripoli raid, and I knew who -that- guy was, but it was probably 1989 before I registered Hussein

I've always chalked that 'atomic bomb' omission from the version I had as a playtesting change. But I've always been curious about it. If I'm remembering correctly...

yes! I bought that right when it came out; pre Gulf War. At the time, I had no idea who that guy on the cover was. I got an early edition of Axis and Allies, and my (possibly faulty) recollection is that the back of the box had an image with the technology card that included "atomic bomb"

I have no idea which version of F&E I have; I picked it up at a con 15 years ago, after putting off buying it for years, and never got around to playing it. I loved Federation Space when it came out--it integrated nicely with SFB. Someday I'll actually punch those F&E counters ...

you raise another interesting question (from a company history standpoint) that relates to the artifact analysis problem: why did so many companies obscure their editions and printings, especially of boxed games? Was this driven by cost, or the result of mix-and-match components thrown together?

The original post was about TTRPGs--the books produced by various companies--and that got me thinking about RPG boxed sets, and then from there I started down the SPI and Task Force Games rabbit hole, thinking about the various editions of their titles. There are so many examples to choose from ...

... pretty much any production decision reflected in the final material product would be ripe for study. I don't want to assume that every variation of a game like SPI's Oil War was about cost-cutting. Fortunately there's a lot written about SPI's marketing, so there are sources to consult.

... along with variations in rules books (some with detailed designer annotations, others more simplified), quality of components, and the 'shortcuts' to the dominant design standard (chits are a perfect example, similar to the chits that were included with some early TSR boxed sets) ...

I had completely forgotten about flatpacks! I used to see those in my local game store's used section and thought they were such a strange format. But to your original question, absolutely! I think looking at the publishing formats (a game-as-artifact interpretive approach) is one angle ...

Maybe I'll try to write something on this.
After I get my -other- homework done

SPI and other companies that relied heavily on mail order seem perfect for this kind of analysis. With magazine editions, "designer editions", etc., produced for different marketing channels. There was a fair bit of variation in the quality of components

I'd love to know if there are any good articles or chapters on games as physical artifacts. I've been looking for a while now (although not very diligently), hoping that somebody, for example, has explored how packaging choices were made to reach different audiences, esp. in the 1970s and 1980s.

There is such great worldbuilding in those two seasons. I wonder if someday we’re going to get an annual “Sky Clearance” holiday, just like in the show. People all over the world partying in the streets as another batch of obsolete satellites is shot down…